Agenda item

This paper gives an updated progress report on local mental health community support services and the Primary Care Talking Therapy service.

The report also describes the new locality management structure for the Specialist Mental Health services delivered by the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Trust.

The Wellbeing Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel is asked to note:

·  Progress in implementing more service user led, recovery focused community support services and suggested next steps.

·  The implementation of the new Primary Care Talking Therapy service.

·  The new locality management structure in AWP.

The Chairman invited Andrea Morland (Mental Health and Substance Misuse Commissioning B&NES Health, Social Care and Housing Partnership).

The Chairman asked if the service would be re-designed should there not be the need to identify savings (as on page 220 of the report).

Andrea Morland replied that re-design of services came about because they were not orientated towards a recovery focused empowered client choice model.  There were a lot of dependent services where lot service users did not realise their potential; for example moving from quite residential model of services into having people in tendencies with support around them, to get people involved into community activities.  The impetus for re-design has been to make services more dynamic and more focused on client’s choice and their strengths.  In the past our model was wrong and we didn’t have right value for money.

The Chairman asked about Review the possibility of encouraging a village agent type of approach to delivering this support for the rest of the life of the Sirona contract.

Andrea Morland replied that she is quite excited about this approach.  Everyone who has eligible social care need (which they will be able to get that through personal budgets) will be able to get floating support.  At the moment, when services were transferred to Sirona, there is re-ablement service which people are able to access to 6-8 week support to prevent admission to hospital.  The team did not know what the need will be as nobody ever done that before so the part of service kept on delivering floating support.  The report says that the team could talk to Sirona on how to do that.  A lot of people with mental health problems are still quite isolated and there was a need to build up communities of support across B&NES.  So, if someone thinks that their neighbour is having some problems then they can go to the right person in the village, village agent, and report that.

Councillor Sarah Bevan said that someone from one of the AWP services, Paul Marshall from LIFT psychology, spoke to Councillor Bevan and she agreed to promote their services through the Council.  In the report LIFT psychology was not mentioned in ‘Primary Care Talking Therapy service update’ part of the report and asked why not.  Councillor Bevan said it would be useful if it had been mentioned as it would be helpful for people to understand what this part of the report is about.

Andrea Morland replied that LIFT psychology was not mentioned in the cover report though it was in the appendix 5 attached to the report, presentation given to the CCG.  Andrea Morland also said that she was trying to keep the report brief and present the information which was presented somewhere else.

Councillor Bevan commented that Talking Therapy services are not only GP based services, like the case is with the LIFT psychology.

Andrea Morland agreed with Councillor Bevan adding that it is hugely flexible model.  Majority of the work is through self-referral.

Councillor Bevan asked when it would be good time to invite the LIFT service to address the Panel on how it is going, what is the take up, etc.

Andrea Morland said that it would give 6 months for the service to run before they are ready to address the Panel.

Councillor Lisa Brett asked if Talking Therapy is all about cognitive behaviour.

Andrea Morland said that the national guidance said that Talking Therapies are not only Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and it is not what is in the specification.  It is on delivering the range of therapies, etc.

It was RESOLVED to:

1)  Note - 

a.  Progress in implementing more service user led, recovery focused community support services and suggested next steps.

b.  The implementation of the new Primary Care Talking Therapy service.

c.  The new locality management structure in AWP.

2)  Invite Andrea Morland and the AWP to talk about the whole Pathway which will include services like LIFT Psychology for one of the future meetings (after May 2014).